Sadly there is no demo announced for the Steam or PC version of the game, which sucks if you are a PC gamer only. But three out of four platforms isn’t too shabby by SEGA. Are you going to be giving Shining Resonance Refrain a chance?

SEGA and Atlus are having a digital sale on mostly Nintendo 3DS titles. If you missed some of the more recent (last few years) SEGA 3DS games, then you are in for a treat. I totally recommend titles like Stella Glow, SEGA 3D Classics Collection, 7th Dragon III Code: VFD, and even Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX (if you like rhythm games).

Just the other day Sonic Forces Japanese demo hit both PSN and Nintendo’s eShop, unsurprisingly today we get to talk about our thoughts on said demo. Today on the SEGA News Bits we discuss Sonic Forces demo including Modern Sonic gameplay, Classic Sonic Gameply, Avatar style gameplay and of course discuss the differences between the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch versions of the game. So listen in on the episode and let us know in the comments below what you thought of the Sonic Forces PSN & Switch demo.

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As previously reported, the PAL eShop accidentally dropped information about a free demo for Puyo Puyo Tetris. But now with the Nintendo Direct today it is officially confirmed that the demo will be live, and will be available for play today on the Nintendo Switch. This demo will provide players a sample of how Puyo Puyo Tetris plays, providing a limited selection of options for both solo and multiplayer. All you need to do is go on the Nintendo Switch eShop and download it, free to play and as much as you want.

Please try out the game for yourself to see if Puyo Puyo Tetris will be up your alley when it drops April 25th (North America) or April 28th (Europe).

Back in Japan, the Nintendo Switch port of Puyo Puyo Tetris S got a demo that allowed players to play a bit of game for free and as long as they wanted. A common question is if western territories will also get the demo to try out the game for themselves, but now we might finally get an answer. On the PAL eShop it mentions that Puyo Puyo Tetris has a free demo, which at the moment is not available as of this writing. Presumably this will be like the Japanese eShop demo, where players have a limited selection of characters and options to choose from but can play up to 4 players with different controller configurations.

Interestingly, the American eShop makes no mention of having a free demo. Only PAL regions do, implying that either the demos will be PAL only, or more likely the PAL eShop mentioning it having a demo earlier then intended was a fluke. It’s also unknown if the PS4 version of Puyo Puyo Tetris will also have a demo, though considering that version is exclusively physical, that might not be the case. But regardless, stay tune for a likely Puyo Puyo Tetris demo to be officially announced in the meantime.

[UPDATE]

If were hoping on discounts for Nintendo Sonic the Hedgehog games, guess what? SEGA has just launched the Sonic 25th Anniversary eshop sale which is set to discount a ton of games starring your favorite blue hedgehog. The Sonic 25th Anniversary eShop sale will be running on both Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Wii U eShops now until November 29th, 2016.

Puyo Puyo Tsu (or Puyo Puyo 2) is regarded as an arcade classic in Japan, setting the foundation for future titles with it’s fleshed out mechanics. Which is why recently the game received not only a 3D remake on the 3DS, but also made it one of the exclusive titles to SEGA 3D ReprintArchives Vol. 2 (SEGA 3D Classics Collection outside of Japan). That is until recently, where it’s been announced the game will receive an independent version on the eShop, and adding an additional Tournament Mode on top of the base game. This version will release on August 3rd, 2016 for the price of ¥864 ($8.22) in Japan.

Whether or not the similarly exclusive Power Drift 3D or the Master System games will receive an independent release too is currently in the air. No release for outside of Japan is currently announced, but keep an eye out in the near future.

If you didn’t know, Yuzo Koshiro is part owner of a development studio called Ancient Games. This studio is responsible for some big SEGA hits like Streets of Rage 2, Beyond Oasis/Story of Thor games and Vatlva (not so much a hit). While the studio has stayed mostly in Japan with new releases, that is about to change as they announced their new game ‘Gotta Protectors’ is coming to the Nintendo 3DS e-Shop on July 21st. Gotta Protectors or Protect Me Knight 2 (as its known in Japan) is a cooperative action tower defense game. This is how Ancient describes their game:

“Gotta Protector is a cooperative Action, Tower Defense game.
You become hero and battle against a bunch of monsters!
Train them, Get items and powers! Protect your princess!”

Gotta Protectors will retail digitally for $12.99 and have an additional FM sound pack as DLC for $7.99 bucks. Seeing that the composer for Gotta Protectors is Yuzo Koshiro himself, it might worth picking up the DLC even at that price. You can check out the game’s page for more information.

I have been playing 7th Dragon III Code: VFD recently, that we even did a first impressions video a week or so ago and now you can give the game a spin with a demo. The 7th Dragon III Code: VFD Demo was released on the American e-Shop on the Nintendo 3DS. I highly suggest you give the game a try, especially since 7th Dragon III Code: VFD demo saves transfer to the final game:

“Demo saves transfer over to the main game, and are not only encouraged, but rewarded! The demo provides players with a streamlined pre-made group with a character cap of level 10, and once you transfer the save data to the full game, you can refund all the skill points and customize the group any way you want.”

7th Dragon III Code: VFD demo is highly recommended for users that want a new SEGA JRPG. The game has a pretty nice soundtrack composed by SEGA veteran Yuzo Koshiro (Streets of Rage games) and co-produced by Rieko Kodama (Phantasy Star, Skies of Arcadia). Give the demo a go and tell us what you think of 7th Dragon III Code: VFD in the comments below

Nine of SEGA’s fantastic SEGA 3D Classics remake/re-releases are getting a discount on the North American eShop. If you haven’t picked up some of these titles I totally think its the time to get on it. If I had to recommend one of the following nine titles, I would totally recommend 3D Out Run. Read my review on that title here.

The following games are being discounted (from $5.99 to $3.99):

3D Super Hang-On

3D Space Harrier

3D Ecco the Dolphin

3D Streets of Rage

3D Streets of Rage 2

3D Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master

3D After Burner II

3D Out Run

3D Gunstar Heroes

Which SEGA 3D Classics do you own and which SEGA 3D Classics are you looking into purchasing in this sale? Let us know in the comments below.

For reasons unknown, the digital version of Project X Zone has been removed from the Nintendo eShop. Starting around 2012 games produced for the system typically sport a retail and digital version, with a few exceptions that are retail exclusive or vise versa. Typically the digital version would need to be loaded into an SD card, but the main benefit of choosing digital is slightly faster loading times, the convenience of not switching 3DS game cards, and the option to re-download the game at any given time.

Both Sonic Boom video games, Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal for the 3DS and Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric for the Wii U, are currently on sale over at Nintendo’s eShop. Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal has dropped from $39.99 to $19.99 (50%), and Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric has dropped from $29.99 to $19.99 (33%) while the original retail price was $49.99. If you’ve yet to experience either game, and really really want to own it digitally, these are the lowest prices as of yet. Meanwhile, the physical versions are about on par with the $19.99 price point at select stores. We have been told that these prices go through March 21st.

I reviewed Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal way back with it released, and awarded it a C+. Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric has yet to receive a SEGAbits review, but from my experience I’d avoid it and just check out the 3DS game.

SEGA has officially announced the SEGA Hardware Nintendo 3DS themes that they’ve been hinting at for the past few weeks. Releasing today to the US will be Sega Genesis and Sega Game Gear themes, featuring imagery and sounds from the respective hardware. In addition to the Genesis and Game Gear, 3DS owners can also expect the Sega Master System, Sega Mark III, Sega Saturn, Hi-Tech Sega (80s style Japanese arcade machine), Sega SG-1000, and the Sega Dreamcast. The themes will be rolled out over the coming months, and are priced at $1.99 each.

It has also been announced that the themes will be hitting Europe, but on a different schedule. No word on if the themes will be altered to suit the EU versions of consoles.

SEGA has posted a couple of trailers on their Japanese YouTube channel showing off the selectable ‘Fortuner’ and ‘Samurai’ jobs for their upcoming 7th Dragon III Code: VFD Nintendo 3DS RPG.

The Fortuner is an astrologer of the battlefield, meaning that you can spread abnormal status ailments and cause massive damage. The weakness for a Fortuner is that they have low defense and health. While the Samurai are good all around, has a balance of offense and defense. They can also use blades and two handed-swords which unlocks skills differing depending on what way you go.